Rating: 
Summary: CANDIDATES READ THIS BOOK!
Review: A recent New York Times Magazine cover focused on the republican youth movement sweeping through colleges and universities. I'm not old enough to know this, but I bet there was a similar cover about the democratic movement back in the sixties and what a shame that young Americans today have no sense of what it means to be a democrat. This is precisely what Danny Goldberg writes about--how the democrats abandoned all of us (I'm 28 and I did not vote in the last election). Goldberg's book is important not only for its historical perspective with regards to politics but more specifically for its cultural history and how the two used to support each other and how they now collide and collapse. And he does not leave us hanging. He has ideas for the future. Ideas that make sense. all those candidate ought to read this book. I read it in a single sitting. only got up once to reload some cds for th emood music it so justly deserves!
Rating:
Summary: a book that haunts
Review: At times this book infuriated me and at other times I was nodding in strong agreement. But the power of the book is the fact that it's not one that's easily dismissed. Even a month later, this book is something I can continue to think back on. Dispatches from the Culture Wars is an important book with questions worth asking (regardless of whether you agree with Danny Goldberg's proposals wholeheartedly or just in part).
What's missing from the book is the fact that it's not just the left that lost "teen spirit." I would've enjoyed some strong self-criticism of the music industry (radio, MTV, music labels, etc.).
Manufactured music has always existed in any era but I was hoping a music insider with label experience would speak out strongly and repeatedly about the McMusic-izing of America that began with the emergence of the Disney Kids and their pseudo "values" that were corporate friendly (as evidenced by the many corporate sponsors of Brit, Justin, Christina, etc.). Could even grunge break through the McMusic of today? A section on domestic population demographics would have also been of interest (and might have allowed him to argue the loss of "teen spirit" even more convincingly).
That said, Goldberg's personal anecdotes are illuminating and didn't strike this reader as "name dropping." His style was refreshingly conversational and may have led me to underestimate
some of the issues he raises.
Again, I didn't agree with all of his suggestions/proposals; however, when a month later and many books after, I keep thinking back on Dispatches from the Culture Wars, that speaks to how powerful this book is. Danny Goldberg is an important voice. His deceptively simple writing style conveys thought provoking concepts and sets him up to become one of the stronger voices on cultural issues.
Rating:
Summary: a book that haunts
Review: At times this book infuriated me and at other times I was nodding in strong agreement. But the power of the book is the fact that it's not one that's easily dismissed. Even a month later, this book is something I can continue to think back on. Dispatches from the Culture Wars is an important book with questions worth asking (regardless of whether you agree with Danny Goldberg's proposals wholeheartedly or just in part).
What's missing from the book is the fact that it's not just the left that lost "teen spirit." I would've enjoyed some strong self-criticism of the music industry (radio, MTV, music labels, etc.).
Manufactured music has always existed in any era but I was hoping a music insider with label experience would speak out strongly and repeatedly about the McMusic-izing of America that began with the emergence of the Disney Kids and their pseudo "values" that were corporate friendly (as evidenced by the many corporate sponsors of Brit, Justin, Christina, etc.). Could even grunge break through the McMusic of today? A section on domestic population demographics would have also been of interest (and might have allowed him to argue the loss of "teen spirit" even more convincingly).
That said, Goldberg's personal anecdotes are illuminating and didn't strike this reader as "name dropping." His style was refreshingly conversational and may have led me to underestimate
some of the issues he raises.
Again, I didn't agree with all of his suggestions/proposals; however, when a month later and many books after, I keep thinking back on Dispatches from the Culture Wars, that speaks to how powerful this book is. Danny Goldberg is an important voice. His deceptively simple writing style conveys thought provoking concepts and sets him up to become one of the stronger voices on cultural issues.
Rating:
Summary: Leading a protestant movement among liberals and Democrats
Review: Catholic priests used to conduct the entire Mass in Latin. Some conservative priests still do. Trouble is, they were the only ones in the church who understood Latin, so all the people on Sunday morning felt pretty left out. That's one big reason why the Protestants got started (protesting the Catholics) - they wanted the Mass spoken in a language that everyone could actually understand. That way, people would get into the service and their faith, instead of just obediently following along.
Danny Goldberg says that lots of progressive and Democratic leaders are like those old Catholic priests speaking in an elite language that regular people just don't understand. They're snobby. And that elitism turns off the people that should be natural progressive voters: those too young to run for federal office (everyone under 25).
Some big points he makes: Democrats should not shy away from ideology or the difference between the two major parties. The new crop of young voters need to be taught there's a difference and inspired by the justice and equality that Democrats advocate for. Candidates who try to obscure the difference (or even worse, who don't really differ with the Republicans) will depress young voter turnout. Clinton beat Bush by 19 percentage points among young voters. Bush tied Gore among young people, because lots of them couldn't see any real difference between the two candidates and because Gore and Lieberman actively disdained popular culture. Since the entire purpose of the Democratic Party is to make the case for all of us acting together to do the right thing (the story of the 1960s), we should tap into that feel-good success story, not run away from it. No progressive improvements have ever happened anywhere in the world without young people - and East Coast snobbishness turns us off. Passion and candor turn us on - especially a vision for government that makes lives better. I want something to believe in, not just something to vote against.
Danny Goldberg is part of a protestant movement in the Democratic Party and among progressives. So is any candidate or elected who talks on television the same way you talk to your friend. His book teaches that we build majorities when we speak plainly, with respect for the other person's education level and with conviction in the ultimate justice of making this country better, one step at a time. It's a compelling read.
Rating: 
Summary: Waking Up Is Hard To Do-Read this Before It's Too Late!
Review: Culture Wars is that rare combination of philosphy, ideology and readability. Goldberg throws down the gauntlet at the members of the left who were once so motivated, informed and nurtured by the counter culture but have since turned their back on it. The book, an entertaining read(as opposed to the usual academic screed)is a wake-up call to the self-impressed Big Chill generation types who smugly cling to their Motown, Beatles and Bruce Springsteen yet proudly and dismissively flaunt their ignorance of The White Stripes, Radiohead, Eminem, Pink and any number of equally vital(and relevant)artists. While making his case Danny treats the reader to tales of the music business' collisions and collaborations with the world of progressive politics without making it seem like a history lesson or a jumbo serving of spinach.
Rating: 
Summary: What Do You Expect?
Review: Danny Goldberg was born a liberal, is a liberal and will die a liberal(hopefully while bending over to pick up one of the names he dropped). In his defense, Goldberg is unabashedly frank about his beliefs. I was fascinated by this unintended expose of the Left and how influenced it was and still is by the entertainment industry and vice-versa. At the time Danny Goldberg was being bussed on the cheek by Joan Baez and smoozing with Dylan while holding a high draft number, many of his peers were in harm's way doing their duty. While Goldberg dropped out of college because it was too rigorous, millions of veterans were putting themselves through college on the GI Bill and becoming useful members of sociey. I could like Goldberg personally because he is honest in presenting his views but this guy has got to get into the real world.
Rating:
Summary: Rock and Rap vs Political Degeneracy
Review: Danny Goldberg's book explains why fewer and fewer young people have even bothered to vote in recent years. He takes cultural conservatives like Tipper Gore and her lame husbands and the execrable Joe Lieberman to task for banishing young liberals not just from the Democratic Party but from the entire electoral process. The book is a beautiful and entertaining read, very factual and well thought out.
Rating:
Summary: An intelligent book.
Review: Danny Goldberg, who is a big name in the music industry, has written a wonderful book that is full of insight as to how the left has lost touch with the younger generation of voters. I am a 20 year old college student and many of my friends and students my age feel as though politicans never speak to our generation and have lost touch with the pop culture that influences our lives. Goldberg's book is extremely intelligent, and is even better for a music fan. He has worked with some incredible names, and has been part of many wonderful projects that he writes about in his book. For anyone who is concerned with the future of the left, and who is concerned with the arts and freedom of speech, this book is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: A thoughtful critique and an idealistic agenda
Review: Goldberg, a record executive and longtime ACLU activist, delivers a blistering criticism of the Democratic Party. Too many politicians, he says, are woefully out of touch with music and the broader popular culture. What's worse is the trend of politicians on the left who assail popular artists to score political points. At the same time, Republicans are in some cases actually better at embracing pop culture and its denizens, especially where it helps their images.
The author recalls a conversation in which liberal U.S. Senator Charles Schumer confessed to not even knowing who Eminem was. He criticizes then-candidate Bill Clinton for lambasting rapper Sister Souljah on the campaign trail. He spends ample time on Tipper Gore's campaign against dirty song lyrics. Little wonder, says Goldberg, that those who represent us seem so totally out of touch. The author believes that liberal politicians have missed the opportunity to tie the ideas of popular music and progressive government into a marketable whole for young people. Though the idea too vague and dreamy for our era, Goldberg makes a number of good points.
Rating:
Summary: Problems with political parties
Review: I identify myself as a liberal. I refuse to accept any politcal party affiliation and have the same disllisionment with the Democrats as Goldberg. Call it preaching to the converted, but Goldberg is right. The party that was once the party of the little guy is no longer. The political process of this democratic republic (that's right kids: the US is not a true democracy) has become one of choosing the lesser of two evils for many people. The political parties of which we were warned over 200 years ago are more alike than different.
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